Academy City Prime: A Megacrossover
by shanejayell
Summary: Driven out of Japan by mysterious forces, two schools have moved to a remote island and founded ACADEMY CITY! A Certain Scientific Railgun, Negima, Mai Hime and others multi crossover!
1. A Certain Heroic Railgun

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from this fanfiction, I'm only borrowing them for awhile. While this story is inspired by 'A Certain Scientific Railgun' and features characters from that series it is NOT aligned with the regular canon of that title and is not set in the original Academy City. In fact it is a crossover between Railgun, Mai Hime, Negima, Black Lagoon, Read or Die and others, eventually. This story like most Shanejayell fictions will have yuri....

Academy City Prime: A Mega-crossover

One: A Certain Heroic Railgun

New Academy City sprawled across the Northern Mariana Islands, a series of smaller school-zones across the larger central island along with facilities along the island chain as well as cutting edge floating artificial islands. Founded some years ago by the governor of the islands the Mariana Academy expanded boldly as it accepted students, taking advantage both of it's nearness to the United States and it's convenience to international students. A agreement with two prestigious Japanese academies allowed for the reconstruction of much of the island and eventually the partners moving to the island itself. The Academy is considered a modern wonder....

Mikoto Misaka closed the guidebook before she had to read any more gushing, then looked around her thoughtfully. The brown haired young woman had only arrived here a few weeks ago, and was still getting used to finding her way around campus. She was lucky most of her classes were in the 'Mahora' district where Mahora University ran their section of the massive academy.

"Get back here!" a woman's voice yelled, the crowds on the street shifting.

A scruffy looking man clutching a purse burst from the crowd, running full tilt by Mikoto. She realized he was a thief almost immediately, and narrowed her eyes in concentration. Invisibly a burst of electricity leaped out from her, zapping the man and making him stumble.

As the man fell a girl about Mikoto's age seemed to appear from nowhere, her longer brown hair flowing around her. 'A teleporter?' Mikoto blinked, astonished as the girl pounced on the man, knocking him down.

"I'm Kuroko Shirai of Judgement!" she barked as he struggled weakly, "Surrender or suffer the consequences!"

"No way!" he managed to twist, slamming a elbow into Kuroko's head and sending her reeling backwards. "I'm not going down!" he staggered to his feet, ready to run.

Mikoto had been trying not to use her powers too visibly, but clobbering a girl? That was beneath contempt, in her opinion. Running after him she let the lightning dance around her visibly as she called, "Give it up!"

The man turned to look at her, his eyes widening in alarm, "What the hell?!"

Seeing he wasn't stopping Mikoto concentrated, throwing a burst of lightning that made his hair stand on end and slapping him to the ground. Cutting the juice she watched warily, noting he was breathing fine but appeared to be stunned, collapsed on the cobble stone covered street.

"Wow," Kuroko trotted up, clearly having recovered from the blow. "Are you new on the island?" she asked curiously as she knelt down and slapped handcuffs on the thief.

"Just transferred," Mikoto admitted, once again surprised at how calmly the islanders took this stuff. Of course the island had programs for developing extra-normal abilities, that was one of the reasons she had come here, but even the shop keepers and parents seemed rather mellow about the whole thing.

"That's a very impressive ability," Kuroko added, giving her a look that said she was admiring more than just Mikoto's powers.

Mikoto fought back a smile, having had girls develop crushes on her back when she was on the track team she could recognize the signs. "It comes in handy," she answered modestly. She looked at the still stunned goon, "Do you need a hand with him?"

"No," Kuroko shook her head, "my team should be here any minute."

Indeed after a few moments they heard the soft 'whoop' of the paddy wagon arriving, It was driven bu a woman older than both of them, but probably young enough to be in university. She wore casual clothes with, oddly, a katana slung over her back.

"Setsuna-sama," Kuroko bowed respectfully, "purse snatcher apprehended, ma'am." She looked over at Mikoto, "I have to confess I received help from this civilian, though."

The black haired woman with the off-centre ponytail smiled slightly as she offered Mikoto her hand, "I'm Setsuna Sakurazaka, I'm the head of Judgement branch 23. Thank you for helping my junior."

"Mikoto Misaka," she introduced herself as she shook Setsuna's hand. "It was no problem," she said modestly, "glad to help."

"May I ask how you...?" Setsuna asked as Kuroko hefted the now groggy but awake man up and hauled him into the back of the vehicle.

"I have electrical abilities," Mikoto said shyly, still feeling the caution she had developed concealing her powers as a child, "I stunned him once, then zapped him again when he bolted."

"I had tackled him, but he got a elbow to my head and bolted," Kuroko told Setsuna as she came back from securing the prisoner, "that was when Mikoto-oneesama let him have it."

"Big sis?" Mikoto raised a eyebrow while Kuroko blushed.

"I see," Setsuna said, a smile tugging at her lips at their byplay. "What level are you?" she asked Mikoto curiously.

"Four," Mikoto said, feeling a bit proud. The staff in charge of developing super human abilities had devised a broad ranking scheme for powers, running from zero on up to five, ranking both power and precision. She was at four mostly because of a lack of truly fine control, and once she got that she thought she was going to get five rank.

"That's very impressive," Setsuna nodded, smiling, then looked up at one of the clock towers dotted around school. "We'd better let you get on with your day," she said as she put a hand on Kuroko's arm and lead her to the truck, "but thank you again for your help."

"You're welcome," Mikoto smiled, thinking that she rather liked both women, at least so far.

"Ma'am," Kuroko said quietly as they headed off, "I was going to ask her about joining Judgement. We could use someone with that kind of power...."

Setsuna smiled at her as she said, "And we will ask her, but later." She looked thoughtful, "I don't think she's the type to just leap into things, we're going to have to win her over."

"I see," Kuroko nodded, her expression thoughtful as she tried to remember seeing Mikoto in any of her classes, not to mention which dorm she might be in.

"And no, you can't use Judgement privileges to look up her personal data," Setsuna said, easily guessing where the other girl was going.

Kuroko slumped down in her seat with a pout, "Awww."

Meanwhile Mikoto watched them go, feeling just a little miffed that they hadn't asked her to join Judgement. Not that she would have said yes, considering she was still adapting to this crazy academy, but it would have been nice to have been asked. After a moment Mikoto shook it off, turning and walking down the street as she looked for a certain cafe.

After nearly a month Mikoto had been assigned a academic adviser, and was on her way to meet her. Normally she would have been assigned a advisory before now, but there had been a surprisingly large increase in enrolment this year, as well as a shuffling of teachers. Things were apparently a bit disorganized in the teacher's lounge, and while they got a handle on it students like Mikoto had to wait.

Midori looked up as Mikoto entered the cafe, waving as she called, "Over here!" The busty redhead was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, the twenty-something looking more like a woman on vacation rather than a teacher.

"Ma'am," Mikoto flushed as she took a seat across from her.

"Just call me Midori," she said before Mikoto could use her name. She waved down a maid and ordered iced coffee for them both, then looked over at Mikoto, "That okay?"

"Thank you," Mikoto smiled back, a little shocked at the woman's energetic style.

Midori sat back, her shoulder bag wobbling a bit against her seat. "I hate the formal crap in school," she confided, "but that's because I travelled abroad so much when I was younger. Most of my professors I knew on a first name basis, after a while."

Mikoto politely answered, "It must have been interesting."

"That it was," Midori agreed, then laughed as she added, "But I'm sure you don't want to hear me natter for hours on that." She looked at Mikoto intently, "How are you settling in?"

What followed was a polite but thorough grilling on her circumstances and day to day life. Midori asked about her rooms, her classes and her clubs, all handled in her cheerful and mildly blunt style. It was a bit like being run down by a horde of polite joggers, or something.

"I had a look at your transcript so far," Midori noted, "your teachers have nothing but positive things to say about you."

Mikoto blushed a bit, "Thank you."

Midori drank some of her coffee, sighing happily. "Any idea what you want to do long term?" she asked curiously.

"Not really," Mikoto admitted, "is that important?"

"Nah, you got a few years," Midori mused, "I was just thinking if there were any ways we could start helping you now." She looked at Mikoto, "Not in a club yet?"

"No, not yet," Mikoto answered.

Midori smiled wryly, "That's about the only think I have to ride you about. Club membership is required, even if it's one of the clubs you don't do anything in."

"There are clubs like that?" Mikoto asked, chuckling.

"The light reading club," a smirking Midori ticked them off, "the meditation club, the astral projection research group...."

"I'll pick something soon," Mikoto promised, laughing.

They had a light brunch while talking, then Midori took off, explaining she had paperwork to catch up on. Finishing off a second iced coffee Mikoto headed out, noting that the sun was on it's way down and the streets were getting less crowded. Casually she walked back towards where her dorm was, taking in the sights and the sea off in the distance.

'It's hard to believe all of this is recent construction.' Mikoto found herself musing as she ran her hand along one wall, 'It looks so old.'

Passing by a dimly lit side street Mikoto heard a grunt and a cry of pain, then further sounds of a struggle. Moving on instinct she turned and hurried down the alley, emerging into a open courtyard where several men were trying to hassle a orange haired woman. She was dressed as a senior and had long hair, tied up in twin ponytails atop her head. The men were circling her warily, one of them clearly having been kicked somewhere delicate.

"Get away from her!" Mikoto yelled.

"Shit!" one teen yelped, his short black hair falling into his eyes. "Jack, Noriko, get her! The rest of us will handle Kagurazaka!"

Deciding there was no time to be delicate Mikoto powered up as the two ran at her. "Give it up!" she warned them, giving them a chance. The guy went for a punch and Mikoto cut loose, blasting off enough lightning to knock both out.

The bolt went farther than Mikoto planned, however. The energy blazed onward towards the woman and her three attackers, then... seemed to curve AROUND her, somehow. Mikoto watched in shock as the bolt bit the people around the girl, who quickly dealt with her stunned foes.

"How...?" Mikoto blinked.

"I'm Asuna," the girl smiled sheepishly, "thanks for the help. I think they were just shaking me down for money, but you never know...."

Managing to get her wits back Mikoto demanded, "How did you avoid my attack?"

"I have a talent that negates other talents," Asuna admitted, backing up slowly. She took a look at her watch, "Whoops, got to go."

As Asuna bolted Mikoto was left standing amid the fallen, even as she heard the distant sirens of Judgement coming. 'Crap, I'd better not hang around,' she thought, hurrying off too. She silently resolved to see Asuna again, and find out if her power cancel worked against Mikoto's full power....

To be continued!


	2. Mai Hime Returns

Academy City Prime: A Mega-crossover

Two: Mai Hime Returns

Natsuki Kuga looked out over the united schools from the tower in the Fuka third of the island, where she had established her residence. Around them was the core of the Fuka Academy, the Shinto shrine, the underground shrine of the Hime and the newly established religion district, where a Christian temple, Buddhist monastery and other faiths were represented.

"I still can't believe this has happened," Natsuki mused, the thirty some years old woman looking back at the figure still laying in their bed. She wore her night clothes and a robe, the early morning light shining into their suite from the window.

Shizuru Fujino was sitting up under the covers, drinking from a cup of tea Natsuki had brought her. The brown haired woman had a calm, almost serene side to her as she drank, but her red eyes held a dangerous intensity in their depths. She was a year older than Natsuki but didn't look it, in fact she could arguably be said to look younger.

"Which don't you believe," Shizuru smiled at her beloved warmly as she said, "that the schools have been combined like this, or that you've been asked to be headmistress?"

"Both!" Natsuki snorted.

Shizuru sighed as she sipped from her cup of tea. "I don't know how Mashiro-sama accomplished this," she noted calmly, "but your appointment as headmistress is really not that unreasonable, Natsuki."

"I think you're talking as my lover rather than as a manager," Natsuki noted, frowning at her slightly. In the years since graduation Shizuru had turned a skill for negotiation and people handling into a career in management, something she was now applying to the schools.

"Not really," Shizuru shook her head. "You graduated from Fuka with a teaching certificate, and you've risen through academia to be a senior teacher in more than one school. You are, to be frank, qualified for the position."

Natsuki blinked, "But..."

Shizuru finished off her cup and put it aside on the bedside table, "We both know they have ulterior motives, but what of it? Miss Balalaika's past makes attracting students difficult, Mashiro-sama is physically a child, and the former Mahora headmaster is... well..."

"He looks like a reanimated corpse, he's so old," Natsuki offered dryly.

"Not diplomatically put," Shizuru noted, "but accurate."

Natsuki ran a hand through her long blue-black hair as she admitted, "I guess I just don't like feeling we're being manipulated."

"It's one way to look at it," Shizuru conceded.

For the past several years they had been covertly chased by the American based Searrs corporation, who were apparently still interested in the potential of the HIME DNA. They, along with the rest of the twelve, had been targeted covertly, with agents attempting to 'hire' them in jobs that amounted to kidnapping. When that failed they moved on to more blatant methods, including using MIYU type androids. The only thing that saved them was the return of their HIME abilities, possibly triggered by stress.

Shizuru shrugged slightly as she continued, "The united schools offering us shelter could be considered manipulation, but it might be from higher motives." She smiled slightly as she added, "We simply do not know yet, Natsuki."

"You're right," Natsuki nodded, turning decisively towards the closet as she added, "and it's time we found out."

"Natsuki," Shizuru shifted a bit, revealing she was still mostly naked underneath the sheets, "you don't have to get dressed right away..."

"Shizuru," Natsuki blushed, but joined her back in bed anyway.

Later that morning, Alyssa Searrs walked down a crowded street, the blond haired twenty-something smiling as she went to keep a appointment. Beside her Miyu Greer followed, the eternally unchanging teenager keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Both were dressed in the new academy uniforms, skirts past the knee and sailor tops.

"Alyssa," Miyu pushed her light blue hair back as they walked past dorms towards a wooded area on the island, "are you certain this is wise?"

Alyssa shrugged as they walked down a worn path, "Our new academic advisor asked to meet here." She smiled slightly as her hair blazed golden and added, "Besides, I'm quite confident we can handle any surprises."

The old fashioned wooden home was set back in a clearing, the sunlight shining down through the trees. It was a larger home than one might expect, with two floors, several rooms on the first level and even a surrounding porch too.

Miyu lead the way up the steps to the door, then she rang the bell. A few moments later the door opened and a green haired woman smiled at them both. She was dressed in a maid's uniform, a pair of robotic looking antenna sticking out of each side of her head.

"Good morning," the maid smiled, "how can I help you?"

"We're here for a appointment with Mrs McDowell," Alyssa said simply.

"Come in," the maid opened the door, waving Alyssa inside. She put a hand on Miyu's arm as the other woman passed and added quietly, "I am aware of your internal weapons, Miss. Do not activate them here."

As Miyu followed Alyssa in she calmly said, "I will only activate them in self defense."

"Fair enough," the maid conceded.

Evangelene A. K. McDowell was not quite as Alyssa expected. The nearly white haired blond looked like a child, despite being dressed in a woman's suit, and certainly not looking like how she expected a school councilor to look. She sat cross legged on the floor by a low table drinking tea, her eyes twinkling with amusement as her servant lead them to a seat.

"Rei Chachamaru, get us tea," Evangeline ordered.

"Yes, mistress," Rei nodded, the green haired girl pouring more tea for her mistress, then for Alyssa and Miyu.

"Thank you," Alyssa smiled politely. She drank, savoring the well made tea, then looked at Evangeline as she said, "You aren't quite what I was expecting."

Evangeline snorted with amusement, "You're frank, I like that." She drank some tea, "Trust me, I am a hell of a lot older than I look." She put her cup down, "Now, as I understand it you're a junior at the university, correct?"

"Yes," Alyssa nodded, "I would have advanced sooner, but there were certain complications."

"Attempted kidnappings and fighting for your life," Evangeline nodded, "I understand." She leaned forward, "I've seen your record and I know how smart you are. What do you want to major in?"

"Politics and management," Alyssa answered promptly.

"Planing to take over the world?" Evangeline asked calmly.

"Eventually," Alyssa answered just as calmly, "it's more of a long term goal."

Evangeline laughed, grinning. "From most people, I wouldn't believe it," she said cheerfully, "but from you..."

Alyssa nodded respectfully, a smile tugging at her own lips. "So," she said briskly, "I'll need your help in organizing which classes to book, as well..."

Across the city in the headquarters of the new volunteer police force. Nao Yuuki really wondered what the hell she was doing there. The brassy redhead felt like some kind of fake dressed in a woman's business suit and trying to act like a responsible adult, even though she had been approached for this job by Haruka Suzushiro herself.

Nao's job was to run a 'covert' police force for academy city, even as Haruka and Yukino ran the public force called Judgment. They weren't sure what her branch would be called, yet, but it's role would be to keep a eye out for the sort of sneak attacks SEARRS had tried in the past, and be ready to counter them. Her staff would be recruited from the Academy students and teachers, as well as from 'private contractors' referred by Balalaika.

Rebecca Chambers was her 'co-head' sent from Balalaika's forces, and the tough looking brown haired woman looked as uncomfortable in a suit as Nao did. The third of their team was Mana Tatsumiya, a dusky skinned and black haired woman with cold, killer's eyes. Nao entered the meeting room with them, feeling oddly insecure with the two women.

Mana smiled slightly, her eyes still unamused as she asked them, "Does anyone else feel as uncomfortable as I do?"

"Seconded," Nao raised a hand, and Revy followed.

"So," Revy asked as she put the clearly borrowed briefcase on the table with a thump, "who's gonna run this show?"

There was a moment of dead silence as all three took seats at the table then looked at each other thoughtfully. "Revy is the eldest and most experienced," Mana said calmly, "she should lead."

"Are you nuts?" Revy yelped. More seriously she continued, "Look, I'm a good gun woman and I've picked up some skills as a island cop, but no way can I run this operation."

Mana shook her head, "I'm not suited to command."

After a moment both woman looked at Nao, who made a face. "I'm not really qualified," she said dryly, "but I think we can rely on Yukino for direction."

"You think?" Revy looked curiously.

Nao offered a sly smile, "Trust me, by the time we're done a month I can bet that Yukino will know most of the secrets in and around the school."

Mana looked thoughtful, "She's that good?"

"Oh yeah," Nao nodded, deciding not to get into Yukino's far seeing talent. Briskly she continued, "We'll need to look into who we can recruit for our agents..."

Revy had a quirky smile on her face as she sat back, "Balalaika has some field troops we can borrow, and I've worked with Rin Asogi's company."

Nao made a note as she said, "There's Yukino of course, and I've worked with Chie Harada in the past. She's running the school newspaper and is a natural hub for gossip."

Mana nodded coldly, "I'll volunteer to head up offensive operations, of course. Setsuna Sakurazaki and Kaede Nagase are both in Judgment, but I think they'd assist us too."

"Good, now...," Nao mused.

Revy and Mana exchanged a look, noting how Nao was running the meeting even if she didn't want to. It seemed that choosing her to lead might be a good choice after all...

To be continued...

Notes: 'Rei Chachamaru' is the second Chachamaru android serving Evangeline. I'm assuming the first has developed to the point where she's either attending classes on her own and/or has graduated already.


	3. Negima! Revised

Academy City Prime: A Mega-crossover

Three: Magical Sensei Negi Springfield

(With assist from Dan Wisner)

Negi Springfield hurried from his new room in the dorms, the young man running with the wooden staff slung over his shoulders. He was young to be a teacher, only in his late teens, but he had proven his skills over several years of hard work. His slightly shaggy brown hair fell to the base of his neck, and he wore a simple set of glasses.

As he hurried down cobbled streets Negi used a bit of wind magic to speed up, ruefully noting it was farther to school on the new island. He needed to stop in with the headmaster to talk about the new term students, as well as the problems integrating three wildly different schools with very different cultures.

Running down the street Negi picked out students he recognized from Mahora, as well as those from Fuka and the island they were now inhabiting. They had to largely keep their greater abilities a secret, while working with the students with powers to develop them. Personally he had his doubts about the idea, but...

The main administration building was busier than ever as familiar and new faces hurried about. Straightening his shoulders Negi walked to the elevators and went up to the top floors, then down the hall to the headmaster's office, where he was greeted by the secretary.

"Hello, Mr. Springfield," Mai Tokhia smiled at him in a friendly way, not at all revealing the fire abilities that could burn him to a crisp.

Negi smiled, "I have a appointment with Headmaster Kuga."

"Let me announce you," Mai got up and knocked on the door, "Mister Negi Springfield is here to see you Natsuki."

"Send him in," Natsuki called back and Negi headed inside.

The office was laid out in a more business like way than Negi was used to, though admittedly he had been dealing with the headmaster of Mahora. There was a simple executive style desk and several chairs, along with a coat rack and filing cabinets.

Natsuki Kuga sat behind the desk, her long mane of blue black hair flowing back over her shoulders. She wore a odd vest for a top and black trousers, her expression a mix of serious and mildly amused. Beside her stood Shizuru Fujino, the brown haired woman smiling faintly as her long dress swirled around her.

"Mr. Springfield," Natsuki smiled, "I think this is the first time I've worked with a teacher who was younger than I am."

"Headmaster Kuga, I'm fully qualified...," Negi said a bit nervously.

"I know, I know," Natsuki reassured him, laughing softly. "Has Headmaster Koemon and Kazahana explained what our strategy is going to be, to draw in students to the island?"

"No, ma'am, I haven't had a chance to speak with them," Negi admitted, wondering what she was talking about. Deep in the bottom of his guts, he rather thought he wasn't going to like it.

Natsuki leaned forward intently, "What we need to be, more than anything else, is unique. We need to offer a service to our students that no one else in the world can."

"Like out taking in and training students with extra abilities," Negi noted.

"Same of their parents may view it as dumping their problem children on us," Shizuru drawled gently, "but it's really for those kids' benefit."

"That will be a large draw," Natsuki agreed, "and we'll be highlighting other draws too." She smiled, "Like you, Mr. Springfield."

"Me?" Negi squeaked.

"You," Natsuki smirked, "Mr. Springfield, you are one of the youngest accredited high school and university teachers in the world. Hell, the school already has a fanclub for you!"

"Oh boy," Negi sighed weakly.

"It won't be too intrusive," Shizuru reassured him, "but we'll be mentioning you in some of the promotional materials, that kind of thing."

"With your permission, of course," Natsuki added respectfully.

Negi hesitated, but really there wasn't much harm in including a few pictures of him. "It won't reveal my, uhm, other talents will it?" he asked.

"Even if I revealed you have magic," Natsuki noted with a wry smile, "no one would believe me, remember? Spells cast from Mahora make sure of that." Under her breath she muttered, "It was hard enough for me to accept it..."

"I suppose so," Negi agreed. He hesitated then met her eyes as he said, "I do have a question before I begin my tenure in the University, ma'am."

Natsuki leaned back casually as she answered, "Yes?"

Negi took a deep breath, "Why did you want me to teach my old students, ma'am?"

Natsuki leaned back thoughtfully then calmly looked at him as she in return asked, "How many students in that class know about or have magic?"

"Well, more than half certainly," Negi admitted. He paused then honestly admitted, "Actually, more than three quarters, really."

Natsuki chuckled softly at that concession. "You can see why we need you, then." Natsuki said. "Integrating the Mahora and Fuka academies is going to be troublesome enough without magic being involved."

Negi's eyes widened slightly, "So the rumors about the old Fuka academy was..."

"All true," Natsuki agreed as Shizuru carried the tea set over and poured them all some tea.

"Then you were the fearsome..." Negi Springfield started to say but stopped short when Natsuki gave him a look. Sheepishly he said, "I'm sorry headmistress. That was out of line."

"Natsuki don't scare him." Shizuru sighed, patting her shoulder gently.

Negi fought back a chill as he thought of the dangerous reputation Natsuki Kuga had developed, fighting against the forces of SEARRS. The Ice Princess, Cold Blood Tactician, Frost Queen, they were all names she had been called as her legend grew in the underground community. She had been deadly on the battlefield, again and again eliminating attackers with no mercy, as cold as the ice she used.

Breaking into his thoughts Natsuki coolly continued, "And there's also the issue of Asuna Kagurazaka."

"What about her?" Negi Springfield asked, blushing just at tad.

Shizuru noted the blush and quirked a eyebrow in amusement. Still she quite seriously told him, "Her power is still increasing."

"Increasing, ma'am?" Negi blinked.

"From your notes Asuna could only cancel out magic based abilities..." Natsuki reminded him, "now she's defeating standard electricity and a HIME's abilities too."

"Her ability has grown that much?" Negi blinked, alarm clear in his voice.

"Or at least the range of her ability," Shizuru pointed out. "Combine that with her superhuman combat abilities and we have a potential problem."

Negi loyally protested, "Not with Asuna..."

"We have to expect the unexpected, I'm afraid." Natsuki murmured as she turned to look at the skyline of the academy she was serving. "It comes with the territory of being a HIME."

"And a mage," Negi conceded the point, then sighed. "Very well I'll watch her and the rest of my students."

"Thank you," Natsuki smiled gently.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Meanwhile, in another part of the island the smell of ozone lingered in the air as Satomi Hakase strode across the busy lab towards her guests. 'Welcome, members of Judgment," she beamed, the young woman pushing up her round glasses.

Yuna Akashi walked in with Setsuna Sakurazaki, the slim athlete following her senpai inside the busy labs. She carried the twin 'magic pistols' that Negi had given her some years ago, capable of stunning most foes though limited in other ways.

"Satomi," Setsuna smiled, "I wanted to ask about what equipment you could provide us."

"What would you like?' Satomi countered, grinning. "I actually consider this to be a worthy challenge to my skills!"

"Don't take it too far," Setsuna cautioned, well aware of how nuts Satomi could get. She still remembered the stripping battle robots she had unleashed on Mahora several years back. Admittedly it had turned out pretty fun, but still...

Satomi Hakase turned and lead them into the busy lab, where men and women along with Chachamaru-type robots toiled away on various projects. "From things the headmistress mentioned, we're focusing on two projects." she told them.

"Yeah?" Yuna asked, looking around wide eyed.

"The first is a light armor bodysuit for agents without powers," Satomi held up the armored bodysuit proudly as she told them, "it's bullet proof, cutting resistant and provides some degree of strength enhancement."

"How much does it hamper movement?" Setsuna asked, looking at the suit skeptically. In her opinion if you couldn't dodge, it wasn't worth it.

"Somewhat," Satomi conceded.

"What's the other thing?' Yuna asked, fighting the temptation to take a shot at the various androids. She didn't because Setsuna would get annoyed, and that Satomi probably built her creations with the ability to shoot back.

"Power neutralizing devices," Satomi led them over to a nearby table. "The first is this stun gun," she held up the blocky pistol, "in addition to functioning like a taser it also disrupts the abilities of whomever you fire it at." She paused, "In theory."

"In theory?" Setsuna repeated.

"We need to test it on more superhumans," Satomi admitted, "and against magical origin beings, too. So far, it tests out fine though." She held up a set of high tech handcuffs, "The same technology has gone into these too."

"Power canceling handcuffs?" Yuna guessed.

"Slap them on somebody, their powers shut down," Satomi said, "again, excepting magical abilities. We also don't know if someone powerful enough could overload them."

"Sounds like being in Judgment is going to be rather exciting," Setsuna said somewhat disapprovingly.

Yuna smiled as she twirled one of the handcuffs around her finger, "Aw, you wouldn't want it any other way, ma'am."

Reluctantly Setsuna smiled back as she admitted, "Maybe you're right."

To be continued...


	4. Catching up

Academy City Prime

Four: Catching up

Shane Llewellyn woke before first light, pretty much as always. He sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes, then the shorts and t-shirt clad man got out of bed and grabbed his bathrobe. Sleepily he shuffled to the bathroom, and began to get ready for the day.

A few minutes later the brown haired man had his hair tied back in a ponytail, a crisp blue suit on and a tan overcoat flowing around them. His housemates were at the kitchen table, munching on a hurried breakfast.

"Morning Yomiko, Nancy," Shane nodded a greeting as he hurried over to the toaster and popped two pieces of brown bread in.

"Morning," Nancy Mukahari nodded, the purple haired woman sipping her coffee. Her lover Yomiko Readman was reading the paper, the brown haired woman seemingly engrossed in the stories as she sipped from her cup of tea.

Shane grabbed the kettle and made himself some tea, finishing up just as the toaster popped up. "How's work?" he asked curiously.

"Busy," Nancy admitted, "Rin and I are thinking of bringing in another partner, especially after the academy itself has been throwing us some work." She gave Shane a thoughtful look, "You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

"I did not exert any undue influence," Shane protested, blushing faintly.

Over the past several months Shane had been gradually easing into a relationship with Revy, who sort of served as a general security head on the island. When Revy first encountered Nancy there was a instant dislike and distrust between them. With some cause, of course, since he, Nancy and Yomiko had been here on the island on a mission for the British Library.

Privately, Shane thought their dislike had been for more primal reasons, two Alpha females meeting and instantly having to prove which was tougher. Of course, he didn't tell that to either of them, as he didn't want to die messily.

Shane munched on some toast as he pointed out, "I think the way we all got involved in that attack by SEARRS helped clear things up for her."

"Yes, you were so heroic, Nancy!" Yomiko agreed brightly, showing she was listening and reading at the same time.

Nancy and Shane exchanged a look, both remembering that day not too long ago. There had been nothing 'heroic' about the mad scramble to fight off the attacking army of mercenaries, with students and teachers caught between them and the security forces. Nancy had stolen a sub-machine gun while I used my paper talents as covertly as possible, and ended up watching over a group of students who chose to fight.

Damn, that was a insane moment. A band of teens who shouldn't have been anywhere near the fighting, hauling gear stolen from the Academy's science department along with a experimental mecha. Shane had taken charge, not because he wanted to but because some adult had too, and when the picked up a radio broadcast from Boris that his squad was being overrun, they had headed to help.

Shane shook off the memories of the past and managed a wry smile. "I think seeing you charging to rescue, guns blazing along with Rin and Mimi, at least made her decide you weren't an enemy," he said.

"Yeah, but not a friend either," Nancy noted as she drank her tea.

"Better than nothing," Shane shrugged as he finished his toast. "I need to oversee a meeting of the Library Rearch Club this evening, so I'll be a bit late," he said as he grabbed his briefcase and got ready to go.

"Have fun with the Bibliophiles," Yomiko waved, laughing as he headed out.

The new apartments for teachers were in a older style building, though one that had been fitted with all the conveniences. Shane trotted down the hall to the elevator, nodding to a young man hurrying to catch it too. "Good morning, Prof. Springfield," he smiled.

The barely teenaged Negi Springfield nodded bashfully, his red-brown hair falling into his eyes. "Mr. Llewellyn," he nodded, carrying that odd staff over his shoulder. "Heading out early today?" he asked as they took the elevator down.

"Got a new shipment of books coming in," Shane admitted a bit sheepishly, "I'm positively eager to start sorting them."

Negi smiled slightly, nodding, "I get that feeling following my archeology hobby."

"You collect antiques right?" Shane asked as they reached the bottom and headed towards the building's entrance.

"Yes, of a sort," Negi agreed, nodding.

The two men were quickly seperated by the crush of students heading into classes and the adults going to their jobs. Shane got onto the light rail system and was crushed in with the other riders, holding onto a strap for dear life.

"Ooh," Shane grunted as a elbow hit his gut, and restrained his instinct to strike back.

"Sorry, sir," Kuroko apologized, the smaller girl looking very sheepish, wearing her 'Judgement;' armband and carrying her school bag.

"No problem," Shane nodded politely. "You're in Judgement, I see... been a member long?" he asked curiously, wondering if the teen had been there since the squad had organized recently.

"Yes, since the squads started under Setsuna-sempai!" Kuroko agreed, eyes shining. She studied him a moment, "You... you know Ms. Mukahari and Ms. Readman, right?"

"Yes I do," Shane acknowledged a bit warily.

Kuroko's eyes suddenly shone happily, "They're my idols! Beautiful, busty Yomiko and sly, tough Nancy! I dream of finding my own soulmate like that!"

"Ah, right," Shane blinked.

The girl was practically sparkling as she gushed, then got distracted by a tall, slim girl. "Mikoto! Good to see you!" she nearly teleported across the crowded train to go annoy the other girl.

Shane grinned as he watched the two interact, the taller girl happy to see Kuroko, yet acting annoyed. What the Japanese called tsundere, he guessed. He people watched the rest of the train ride, then got off near the university's central complex.

The university library was a sprawling facility, as fitted a school that nearly covered the whole island. There were also seperate buildings for high school and the college faculties, and the astonishing Library Island off shore. Shane itched to go out there and explore, but finding the time was so hard...

"Ah, Mr. Llewellyn, hello," the smarmy voice said as he entered, and Shane had to fight the urge to grit his teeth as he stopped by the main desk and looked towards the man he heard.

Nagi Homura looked amused, the silver white haired boy dressed in his suit pants and white T-shirt. He looked no more than a teenager, but was at least in his twenties according to various records. Of course Shane rather doubted those files, since he could find no eyewitness confirmation of any of it.

"Nagi, good to see you," Shane nodded, "but shouldn't you be at the junior high library, where you're assigned?"

Nagi bared his teeth in what could charitably be called a smile. He wanted the higher ranked position at the university library, but Shane had been chosen for it. So all he could do was be irritating, unless he found some leverage to get him the job. "I was just on my way," he admitted, "I heard you got some new materials in?"

"Some," Shane conceded, "the requests I asked for came in, and we received a bequest of books from a wealthy supporter. No idea if any of it will be kept, of course."

"I see," Nagi nodded, clearly eager to see what might be in the bequest. Then the doors to the front slammed open, making us both jump.

"Nagi you little weasel!" Revy growled, the brown haired woman glaring across the room at the man. Thankfully she didn't look like she was armed, but you never knew with Revy...

Nagi paled visibly, "Ah, hello Revy! Nice to see you, but I must be going." With a speed unexpected for someone so short he booked, getting out of the room before Revy could even get a grip on him. 

"What did he do now?" Shane asked as Revy sauntered in, her expression more amused than anything else, now that Nagi was gone.

"Nothing, I just like scaring the little bastard," Revy grinned as she looked Shane over, "besides, I don't trust him."

"Well, join the club," Shane agreed. He was tempted to hug Revy, but something in her manner made him decide it was a bad idea. Dating Revy was a prickly experience, he found, and much of it was guided by subtle signals.

"So, what you doing tonight?" Revy asked abruptly, as was her usual style.

Shane raised his eyebrows, "Well, I have to supervise a club meeting, but other than that I'm free." He looked over at her thoughtfully, "Wanna grab dinner together?"

"Be at the usual place," Revy nodded, then leaned forward to kiss his cheek. Before he could respond she was off, striding away to whatever her next job might be.

Shane watched her go, once again feeling a bit off balance. Revy was like that, sweeping in, taking over, then rushing off again without a care for the usual social niceties. Still, he found he kind of liked it, really.

As Shane turned himself to readying the Library for opening, he thought of a conversation he'd had with Rock Okajima. The former businessman had been playing the role of Revy's big brother, sort of, and had come around to make sure Shane's intentions were pure towards Revy. It had been hideously uncomfortable for both of them, though once he decided Shane might be okay Rock also gave a pretty insightful talk about Revy.

Rock didn't know too much of Revy's background (Hell, he even suspected Chambers wasn't her real name) but he did know it had been extremely rough on her. Part of how Revy had survived had been to bury all the hurt under a tough shell and carry on as if nothing had happened. It wotked hor her, but it had left the adult Revy very uncomfortable with her emotions. She found violence easier than talking, and was deeply uneasy about showing how much she cared.

'Guess I'll just have to let Revy set the pace,' Shane decided even as he made sure the card scanner was ready, as was the desensitizer for the book's alarm strips. He took a walk around the main floor, checking for any garbage or items left over from yesterday, then headed back to the front desk.

Walking to the front he unlocked the main doors then headed back to the desk. 'And so the day of a librarian begins again,' he mused, even as the first students hurried in, presumably to finish work or maybe use the building's free internet.

"Good morning sensei!" Nodoka Miyazaki called as the young woman helped her friends Yue and Haruna return several stacks of books.

"Morning," Shane agreed as he helped them get the books on the counter. "Looking forward to this afternoon's Library Exploration Club meeting?"

"Oh yes!" Haruna grinned, "we're finally hauling you out to Library Island, sir. It's about time you visited it!"

"I'll look forward to it," Shane smiled, having no idea what he was in for.

To be continued...

Notes: Yes, this is a sorta self insert character. Shane will not always get the girl, and he's gonna get into shit pretty regularly.


	5. A Certain Heroic Judgment

Academy City Prime

A Certain Heroic Judgment

The girl with flowers in her hair coughed softly, sighing to herself as she headed for the nearby Judgment office. The school uniform kind of drooped on her thin frame, and she looked rather like a bedraggled kitten.

"Uiharu!" a cheerful voice cried out from behind her then flipped her skirt up. "Ooh, polka dots again today."

Kazari Uiharu stood frozen for a moment. "Aieee!" she squealed, shoving her skirt back down. She wheeled around to glare at the taller girl, "Saten!"

"Good morning," Ruriko Saten beamed cheerfully at her.

"Saten, there are boys here!" Uiharu yelped, even as everal blushing young men shuffled by.

"Sorry, sorry," Saten chuckled as they fell into step, "I got carried away."

"You're so mean," Uiharu sighed.

Saten smiled down at her impishly, "I could show you mine in return..."

"Please, no," Uiharu smiled faintly, imagining the sort of reactions that could cause.

Saten snickered, both walking as a gentle breeze stirred around them.

Saten and Uiharu had known each other since they were kids, growing up in Japan. Saten had sometimes been the smaller Uiharu's defender, and sometimes she had relied on Uiharu to get her through tough times in school. They stuck together, even deciding to accept the scholarships to this island together.

"How are you settling in with Judgement?" Saten asked curiously. "If you need help with classes too..."

Uiharu shook her head, "No, I'm fine. I have several upperclassmen who are helping me out."

"Really?" Saten asked curiously.

"There's Setsuna Sakurazaka, who's a senior," Uiharu said eagerly, "she's very good with a sword, too." She blushed faintly, "Her girlfriend Konoka is very nice too."

"Girlfriend?" Saten raised her eyebrows, "Like, friend-friend, or...?"

"Or," Uiharu agreed, blushing. "They're really nice though."

"Well, I guess it's fine," Saten decided. She gave a wicked look as she added, "It's not like they're making out on desks or anything."

"Saten!" Uiharu blushed fiercely.

Meanwhile, Nao Yuuki was working to try to manage the 'assets' of Judgement, which was turning out to be harder than expected. Officially Judgement was a volunteer student organization, but unofficially it was the first line of defense for any craziness on the island. That meant she had to have people spread out to cover the whole island, yet also able to respond quickly and concentrate forces.

"Is everything okay, ma'am?" Kuroko asked a bit nervously, her long brown hair tied up in twin tails. She wasn't quite sure what to make of this intense redhead. Her first impression was that Nao was a former criminal, yet she seemed to know both the Academy president and was trusted by the school staff.

Nao flashed a smile at the teen. She could pretty easily tell what the kid was thinking, and couldn't really blame her for being worried. "It's fine, just trying to figure out how to juggle staff between the various watch houses."

"Concentrate them on major routes?" Kuroko suggested, looking at the map Nao was pouring over on the display screen, "That's where the trouble will probably be, anyway."

"And have foot patrols through other areas," Nao mused, nodding, "that could work." She flashed a grin, "The patrolers won't like that, mind you."

Kuroko shrugged eloquently, "We knew the job was tough when we took it?"

Nao laughed. "Yeah, that's fair enough," she conceded.

"Would you like some tea, ma'am?" Mii Konori asked politely, the tall, black haired young woman standing nearby. The chief of this branch she had been in trouble when she was younger, but had turned her life around.

"Thanks," Nao nodded, smiling, "but one of the juniors can get it, really."

"It's fine," Konori said. She flashed a grin, "Besides, Kuroko isn't good at making tea."

"Ma'am!" Kuroko blushed fiercely.

Nao chuckled softly as she stretched. "Well, I can't really linger long," she admitted, "I need to check out the other branch houses too."

"That can't be fun," Konori sympathised. Judgment had branch offices all over both the main island and up the island chain, meaning there were long hours of travel ahead for Nao.

"Well, as Kuroko put it," Nao got up, "We knew the job was tough when we took it. When a decision is made on the patrolling, I'll let you know."

Both Kuroko and Konori stood up straight, "Yes, ma'am."

"And cut the ma'am stuff," Nao complained as she left, "I'm not that much older than you."

"What a interesting woman," Kuroko finally noted, getting the tea and pouring a cup for Konori.

"You don't know the half of it," Konori mused, having seen Nao's unedited file.

Across the city in the Mahora district, Mikoto Misaka was getting vaguely frustrated. In between classes she had been looking for the strange girl who had canceled out her own electrical gift, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. And Mikoto didn't want to use any official methods of getting in touch with her, in case the incident from week ago came up.

"Argh," Mikoto sighed, the young woman's short hair blowing a bit around her face.

"Misaka-san!" a voice called, and she turned to see two young woman approaching.

Mikoto turned, recognizing her classmate and a strange girl. "Uiharu," it took a second and she remembered, "Kazari, right?"

"You remembered," Uiharu smiled. She turned to her friend, "Saten, this is Mikoto Misaka, one of the few level fours on the island."

"Level four? Really?" Saten blinked, astonished, "I'm just a level one wind manipulator. How did you two meet?"

"We're in the same class," Mikoto smiled as they walked along. She noticed the arm band Uiharu was wearing and noted, "You're in Judgment too? Must keep you busy."

"Only about as much as other school clubs," Uiharu answered, smiling.

"Have you found a school club yet?" Saten asked curiously, "I'm still looking."

"Not yet," Mikoto admitted a bit ruefully. She laughed, "There's just too many clubs in a campus of this size!"

Saten laughed, shaking her head, "I know." She looked at Mikoto, "What's the strangest club you've seen so far?"

"Astral Projection club?" Mikoto offered, grinning. "As far as I can tell it's a excuse to sleep."

Uiharu laughed softly. "Well, maybe they really needed the rest?" she suggested.

"The strangest I saw was the SOS Brigade," Saten smiled, "they seem to want to find Aliens, Time Travelers and Sliders and have fun with them."

"No espers?" Mikoto asked.

"I think they already have those, so...," Saten shrugged eloquently. Noting the time she suggested, "Do you want to grab lunch with us?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Mikoto asked, smiling a bit shyly.

"Sure, it's fine," Uiharu nodded.

Mikoto nodded, "That's good, I didn't want to interrupt your date."

"DATE?" both teens yelped.

"I'm not... I mean, we're just friends," Saten said quickly.

"Yes, I'm sure Saten doesn't see me that way," Uiharu added quickly, blushing.

'Well, well,' Mikoto noted, then smiled as she said aloud, "Sorry, I misunderstood."

The three teens found a small cafe, settling around a table as they ordered something light. "Do you know Kuroko Shirai?" Mikoto wondered, thinking of the short teleporting girl she had run into twice now.

"Kuroko?" Uiharu nodded, "Yes, she's a senior at our Judgment branch."

"You know her?" Saten asked as she ate some ice cream.

"I sort of helped her out with a runaway crook," Mikoto admitted.

"You're the one!" Uiharu's eyes widened a bit, "Kuroko was raving about how cool you were when you blasted that guy! Zap, Kaboom!"

"It wasn't that impressive," Mikoto waved it off, sighing. "I still suck at fine control, too. I have to be careful or I'll blast everybody around me."

"Okay, that's gotta suck," Saten conceded.

Uiharu shrugged, "Better than my ability to keep things the same temperature."

"It preserves the flowers that she wears nicely!" Saten observed loyally, referring to the flowers that Uiharu wore on her head.

Mikoto decided it would be better to change the subject, or she'd soon be lamenting that the only useful aspect of her ability was to jump start cars. "Anyway, Kuroko seems to have... developed a interest in me," she admitted, "I'm not sure what to do."

Saten and Uiharu exchanged a look. "I have some yuri dojins you could borrow," Saten offered, "they're not that graphic but..."

"Saten!" Uiharu blushed, "That's not what she means."

Mikoto shook her head, chuckling. "I think I'd rather discourage her, thank you very much," she said dryly. She gave Saten a look, "And what are you doing with h-dojin anyway?"

"They have my favorite character in them," Saten said defensively.

'Sure they do,' Mikoto thought but didn't say aloud.

To be continued...


	6. Mai Hime 2

Academy City Prime

Chapter Six

Mikoto Minagi smiled as the black haired young woman finished her large lunch box, packed with love and goodies by her girlfriend Mai. She was sitting on a rock not far from the shore, waiting patiently for a predicted attack.

She didn't entirely understand how it worked, but Natsuki said that the concentration of magic and other forces at the academy weakened the barriers between here and other places. So things could break through and try to cause trouble at the school.

It was a bit like the Orphans back at Fuka Academy. The biggest difference was that the old headmaster of Mahora could generally tell when and where they were going to pop up. So now Mikoto was out here just after lunch, sitting in the sun waiting patiently

The sun felt good on her skin, and Mikoto had to fight the urge to doze. Still, she had to stay awake, because she could... kind of feel the presence of something coming. She got up from her sitting position, her claymore-like sword held ready at her side.

The thing kind of resembled some of the Orphans she had fought, actually. Snort and scaly the creature seemed to shimmer into existence, it's eyes glowing red as it looked around dangerously. As soon as it saw Mikoto it hissed angrilly, then charged at her as it's claws tore at the grass.

"Whoop," Mikoto dodged it's first attack, the claws missing her side by bare millimeters. BIG claws too, Mikoto noted, nearly as long as her finger. This thing might be small, but it was clearly very dangerous. It hissed again, challengingly, as it glared at her.

Experimentally Mikoto tried slapping the thing with the flat of her blade. Shockingly it leaped straight up over her strike, then disgustingly spat at her! Mikoto back-pedaled from the steaming green goo, then gaped as the grass began to smoke and die under the impact.

Deciding it was time to stop playing with this thing Mikoto swept forward fast, swinging so fast her sword was a blur. This time the thing couldn't dodge, and her sword cut the thing nearly in two. Orange, almost alien looking blood spilled, the stink making her eyes water. As it twitched the body seemed to simply dissolve, breaking down and disappearing.

Mikoto stood a moment, waiting to see if there was anything more coming. As she did so she called out, "I know you're there. Show yourself!"

The other presence Mikoto had sensed emerged from the shadows of the forest, her long black hair flowing around her. Mana Tatsumiya looked more amused at being discovered than anything else, a rifle slung over her shoulder and twin pistols at her side. "How long did you know I was there?" she asked curiously.

"For awhile," Mikoto shrugged casually, "I thought about inviting you to share my lunch, but Mai made it for me and it's really good."

Mana hid a smile, knowing that Mikoto's reputation for having a voracious appetite was true. "Well, I see you handled the creature nicely," she noted.

"It wasn't too tough," Mikoto shrugged slightly. She looked at Mana curiously as she bluntly asked, "Was this a test?"

Mana was a bit surprised at how perceptive the woman was being, then decided she was underestimating her. Yes, Mikoto might act like some odd, feral child, but she was in her twenties and had survived a hell of a lot. However dumb she might act, there had to be a sharp mind under there.

"Yes," Mana conceded as they started to walk down the path to the nearby road. "We're going to be relying on you to help protect the students here."

"I'm willing to help," Mikoto agreed cheerfully. She tilted her head to the side, "I guess Mai suggested this?"

"Headmaster Kuga, actually," Mana said. She looked curiously at Mikoto, "I was surprised you didn't apply to become staff on the island."

Mikoto shrugged slightly as they reached the road where Mikoto's battered old jeep sat. She had bought it to take Mai to work, when needed, and used it herself when she wanted to get away from it all. "I'm not the sort of person to teach children," she said calmly.

"The kendo club could use you," Mana offered as Mikoto climbed into the open topped jeep.

Mikoto turned to look at Mana, her expression utterly calm and composed. "My grandfather taught me the sword," she said, "and my final exam was killing him in battle." She looked up towards the sky a moment as she wondered, "Would you really like me to teach the kids here that?"

Mana had no answer to that as Mikoto drove off.

Driving away Mikoto felt a bit guilty, using her past against Mana like that. Honestly Mikoto had mostly gotten over her Grandfather's actions, having learned why he did it. It wasn't until much later that she understood he'd been preparing her to fight the Obsidian Lord, her elder brother. Of course THAT backfired spectacularly, but still...

She reached the dorm slash apartment that she and Mai shared, pulling into their parking spot and getting out. She stretched like a cat, smiling, then decided to go up to the roof and sunbathe with the feral cats. Mai would be home in a few hours, and Mikoto wanted to be wide awake for that.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Midori Sugiura was a attractive, bosomy redhead, and was used to drawing the male gaze. Even though she was a teacher now, and supposed to be responsible, she still chose to run around in t-shirts and short shorts. It was kinda fun to see the hormone ravaged teens react, not to mention a few of the more boring teachers.

Midori jogged along one of the many cobbled lanes in Mahora district, while wishing the school hadn't gone for the 'quaint' look. Not that she minded the appearance, but the uneven roads hurt her feet. She reached Fuka district fairly quickly, heading to the complex of shrines and temples that were a big part of the area.

There had already been a mountain shrine and a church in Fuka when the campuses had been combined, so it made a certain amount of sense that all the temples ended up on Fuka territory. There was a church, two Shinto shrines, a Buddhist monestary, and several other religions setting up shop. Apparently the headmistress wanted to have religious services available to whomever needed them.

Midori was NOT on a mission from God today, however. Instead she was checking up on a HiME, one of the recent arrivals after Natsuki had put out a message inviting all former allies to the island. She reached the base of the hill and looked up the stone steps, then groaned.

"Natsuki, you will SO owe me for this," Midori grumbled as she climbed.

Shiho Munakata was a shrine maiden in her lecherous grandfather's shrine, which she eventually inherited. She was also crazy in love with Tate Yuuichi, to the point of trying to murder his girlfriend back when they were all at Fuka together. She and the rest of them were restored to sanity to fight the Obsidian Lord, and after that they expected to retire to normal lives. Sadly, that didn;t happen.

Midori passed under the gate to the shrine, a traditional tori, then looked around at the obsessively neat cobblestones. There were no leaves, no dirt and no trash, while a few men and women walked around the courtyard. There was a stand to sell good luck and romance charms over to one side, while the main shrine building was to the back of the wide yard.

Standing in front of the man building with intense expression on her face, Shiho looked a LOT different than when she was a teen. Gone was the odd 'octopus' hair, instead it was pulled back in a severe braid. The miko uniform was filled out somewhat, though Shiho would never rival Mai or Midori's busts, and she was a bit taller too.

"Midori, do you HAVE to dress like that?" Shiho sighed as Midori walked up to her.

"I don't have to, no," Midori smirked, "it's fun though."

Shiho growled softly. "Come inside before you corrupt too many morals," she ordered, opening the paper door in front and leading Midori inside.

Inside the shrine was cooler and a bit dimly lit, but not terribly dark. Shiho lead them through several formal rooms for shrine purposes, then into a much more casual living area. Midori sat down at the table as she asked, "How are you doing?"

Shiho collected cups and set them out, then put the kettle on for tea to stall for time. "It could be better," she said harshly. She looked at Midori darkly as she added, "Damn it, I had a life before those maniacs at SEARRS came after me!"

"I'm sorry," Midori said, putting her hand on Shiho's gently.

Midori didn't regret her life, necessarily, but she certainly could understand where Shiho was coming from. Her ambition had always been to be a archeologist, not a teacher. But she had been a HiME, and had devoted her efforts to free her friends from a terrible destiny Like Shiho she thought she had been free once it ended, but then SEARRS decided to move against them.

"I suppose I shouldn't be bitter," Shiho noted as the kettle whistled and she served them tea, "the school has been fairly generous in setting me up here."

"Maybe, but it can't be fun too," Midori said. She sipped the tea, noting it was awful. Clearly, the girl could not make tea. Setting the cup down she asked curiously, "Anything odd I need to pass on to the headmistress?"

"The usual small scale creatures popping up," Shiho said as she sipped her own tea, clearly oblivious on how bad it was. "I kill anything that looks threatening."

"I see the shrine is popular," Midori noted.

Shiho made a face at that. "Too much of it is because of all the anime fans," she admitted, "if I see another fan bring up Lucky Star I'll beat them with a stick."

That nearly made Midori choke on her tea. She chuckled as she sat the cup down, managing not to cough anything up. "Come on, it's not THAT bad," she chided.

Shiho smiled back slightly. "Well, at least it's profitable," she said with a shrug. She leaned forward, "Which reminds me, if there any problem with my employing students as Miko here? I wanted to clear it with the headmistress..."

"Training or just to sell stuff?" Midori asked curiously.

"Selling charms pretty much," Shiho admitted with a wry smile, "but if someone actually shows some interest I'll look into actual Miko training."

"Fair enough," Midori nodded as she finished her awful tea, "I'll mention it to Natsuki, but I don't expect there to be any problems."

"Good," Shiho nodded with a faint smile. She hesitated a moment, "Has there been any luck finding Sister Yukariko?"

Midori sighed softly, her smile fading "No," she admitted, "she hasn't turned up. And our attempts to find her by more... exotic methods have failed."

Both Shiho and Midori looked rather grim at that point. Sister Yukariko was a HiME like them, and had participated both in battles between them and the Obsidian Lord. She 'retired' from the church when she got pregnant, but stayed on long enough to find a successor to run her church. Sometime between then and when SEARRS began to seriously go after the HiME again, she dropped off the face of the Earth.

"Yukino and the mages found nothing?" Shiho asked, surprised.

Midori nodded grimly. "Not a trace. As far as anyone can determine she set up her successor, moved to a cabin with that creepy art teacher and disappeared," she said.

"Think SEARRS has her?" Shiho asked.

"I hope not. If what Alyssa went through is true, she'd be better off dead."

To be continued...


	7. Madlax

Note: To anyone bitching about self insert characters... Nya Nya Nya! Phhhht!

Academy City Prime

Seven

Shane Llewellyn was frowning as he and Revy were drinking at one of the Academy City pubs. Intended for college students there were a few scattered around the island, and this one was frequented by teachers too. They had planned to just have a cozy drink, but a few collegues of Shane's had crashed the party, so to speak.

Midori was wearing her usual crop top and long shorts, with a jacket thrown over it. Negi Springfield had been dragged over bodilly by Midori, amusingly. She raised a full mug of beer as she said, "DAMN is the beer good here."

"Hmm," Negi drank his tea, while trying not to look obviously at Midori's bouncing boobs. He was a English gentleman, after all. Plus, if his students found out he'd been peeping they'd probably try to kick his ass.

"It's a import," Revy conceded, "from somewhere out in the Georgia mountains. Mountain Tiger beer."

"Makes you wonder what sort of person gets the idea to ship out beer from somewhere so remote," Shane mused.

In the valley of the Keldara the man called the Kildar, Mike Jenkins, suddenly sneezed. "Are you all right?" Anastasia, his harem manager asked.

"Yeah, must be a cold or something," he smiled wryly.

"What the hell was THAT?" a visibly annoyed Revy demanded while pointing up at the offending section of text.

"Author is being odd," Negi noted with the experience of someone who had been in a LOT of fanfics, "just ignore it or you'll encourage him."

"Besides, I thought John Ringo and the author hated each other's guts?" Midori wondered, scratching her head.

"Doesn't mean he can't still like Ringo's books, I guess," Shane shrugged.

"Midori, there you are," a voice called and a attractive brown haired woman in a lab coat hurried over.

"Hey, Yohko," Midori hopped up and gave her a hug.

"Doctor Sagisawa," Negi nodded respectfully to the head of medical services over at Fuka Academy as the others greeted her.

"Just Yohko, or I'll have to call you Professor Springfield all night," she laughed as she sat down by them.

"What's up Doc?" Revy said with a tight smile.

Yohko snickered softly. "Thanks for looking after my wayward friend," she addressed the group with a smile.

"I am NOT wayward," Midori protested.

Everyone just ignored that. Shane took a drink, "How are the students settling in, with the beginning of the new term?"

"Lot of kids getting in trouble," Revy noted, amused. "Thankfully nothing major, but..."

"Hopefully none of my classes?" Negi asked with more hope than realism.

"Well, Asuna got into a fight again, but Judgement thinks it wasn't her fault," Midori noted as they began to trade stories of troublesome students.

Revy kept listening to the conversation even as she looked around the pub thoughtfully. A group of young women caught her eye, especially the brown haired one. After a moment Revy decided it was because she recognized the woman's wary look... it reminded her of herself.

Meanwhile, Margaret Burton was looking around eagerly. "Elenore, could I try a beer?" the teen asked as they walked by the bar.

"No, you are still too young," Elenore Baker said seriously even as she kept an eye on both Margaret and Laetitia, the youngest of their group.

"Aww," Margaret pouted sweetly.

Vanessa Rene looked amused at their interaction. She would probably have given in, but she wasn't as tough as Elenore. She looked at her companion as she noted, "The woman with tattoos is checking you out."

Madlax nodded, the slightly taller woman keeping a slight smile on her face. "That's Revy, head of security around here," she noted, having done her research on the island.

"Come on, everyone over to the table," Elenore ordered as she manoeuvred them to a empty one, the group settling around it.

"So," Margaret addressed Madlax as she asked, "are you finally going to explain why, exactly, we're moving here?"

"Your getting a scholarship wasn't enough?" Vanessa asked evasively.

"No, not when you, Madlax and Elenore are all acting strangely," Margaret said. She fixed them with a stern look, "Spill."

Vanessa sighed, waving a waitress down. "Beer for me and Madlax, sodas for everyone else," she said.

"Hey," Elenore protested.

"All right, beer for her too," Vanessa smiled, liking teasing the other woman.

"Answers," Margaret pressed once the drinks were delivered. Both Vanessa and Elenore met her gaze, while Madlax kept a eye on their surroundings. Which made sense. While Madlax was her physical protector, Elenore and Vanessa were the ones who were her guardians, more or less.

"Well, as you know the organization Enfant was going after you for your powers," Elenore said as she sipped her drink.

"I thought we destroyed them?" Margaret asked.

"We defeated their leader and hurt them, yes," Vanessa nodded, "but there are indications they're still around."

"Oh, lovely," Margaret sighed.

"And by 'indications' she means I stopped several agents from coming after you." Madlax noted calmly, having some beer.

Elenore continued, "We have assurances from the island's leaders that we will be safer here." She paused, "And the fully payed schooling doesn't hurt either."

"I guess," Margaret grumped.

Vanessa gave the girl a sympathetic look. Things had been settling down for them all and Margaret had even been making friends at their old home. She could understand the girl being unhappy at moving. Still, they were doing what they did for everyone's protection.

Shane poked Revy's arm, glad she didn't instantly take a swing at him. "Trouble?" he asked.

"Sorry," Revy apologized, "I saw a new arrival that falls under my responsibility."

"You work too damn hard," Midori noted drunkenly.

"How many drinks has she had?" Revy had to ask.

"About four," Shane noted.

"This is some really good beer!" Midori noted as she finished her fourth.

"Somebody better walk her home," Shane decided.

"I will," Yohko quickly volunteered.

"Better you than me," Negi murmured, having been already impulsively hugged by Midori and nearly getting smothered by her breasts.

"What was that?" Midori asked breezily.

"Nothing," Yohko told her. "Come on, let's go," she said helping her up and steadying her a bit.

"Yes dear," Midori sighed as they were walking out.

"Dear?" Shane blinked.

Revy shook her head, "I don't want to know."

Negi got up as well, the young man looking apologetic. "I think I need to head home too," he said, "work tomorrow."

"Have a good night," Shane said as he and Revy got up too. As they left the pub he looked at Revy thoughtfully, "I guess you have work?"

"Yeah, I want to make sure Balalaika knows about them being here, as well as checking out the security side," Revy admitted. "You okay?"

"It's fine," Shane smiled. "Be careful out there?"

"You too," Revy kissed his cheek before disappearing into the darkness.

To be continued...

Note: Yeah, I kinda baited John Ringo, author of the Paladin of Shadows books, so much he ranted at me then defriended me. I'm actually kinda proud of that.

Not sure if I will use the Keldara again, tho the idea of them existing in this universe IS interesting. Them tangling with Balalaika's Russian mob would be damn cool.


End file.
